FAO supports Armenia in controlling the grape disease, phylloxera - a serious threat to the country
Yerevan, Armenia - At present, grape phylloxera is a serious threat to viticulture in Armenia, which has caused considerable problems for grape growers in recent years. It spreads rapidly throughout the entire Ararat valley, and in the years to come the only successful means of controlling Phylloxera will be by planting vines grafted to phylloxera-resistant rootstock.
In order to better understand the issue and organize the control more effectively, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) organizes a two-day training on July 5-6 under a national Technical Support project aiming at introducing the modern ways of implementing Phylloxera Monitoring, as well as modern methods of combating and controlling this pest, to field specialists, representatives of scientific centers, phytosanitary inspection and employees of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Armenia.
A theoretical training/discussion is planned for the first day of the event, followed by a practical training on Phylloxera-control measures, field and laboratory monitoring as well as the technique of grafting table and technical grape varieties on Phylloxera-resistant rootstocks. The training is conducted by the project international expert Laszlo Kocsis. As he mentioned, “The field monitoring is one of the most important parts of the training. Participants will learn how to find phylloxera infestation with simple tools in unknown status of vineyard. The other part is dealing with rootstock training, handling and grafting technics.”
The FAO “Technical assistance for grape Phylloxera-resistant certified planting material Production” Project aims to provide technical assistance for the development of a grape phylloxera-resistant planting material and a new planting certification scheme for sustainable grape production in the country. The duration of the project is 24 months, the budget is $ 395,000.